


Checkmate

by ElizabethMikaelson



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Kind of a character study, and A LOT of chess parallels, and her side of the love story, but decided to post it here too, i posted this on twitter, into how penelope loves and thinks, it has fluff, so enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 23:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20460932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizabethMikaelson/pseuds/ElizabethMikaelson
Summary: She imagines her life as that same chess match, fire burning beside her, playing against life instead of her father. This time, she was sitting cross-legged before it, playing the game, staring at the pieces with a confident smirk and choosing which to move.Falling in love with Josie Saltzman makes her feel like she is playing her first chess game.





	Checkmate

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!! this is my "newest" work and i really hope u enjoy it! i would love to see ur thoughts about what each piece meant or just your thoughts it general! i hope u like this and please comment and kudo!!

Life is like a chess game.

For Penelope, it has always been like a chess game. Her father taught her this, Penelope remembers those games too well.

He would sit on his dark red couch as they played by the fireplace. Penelope had always loved staring at the fire, even if at times it would cost her her victory.

_ “Eyes on the game, daughter of mine. Chess is quite like life, remember that. You can only control your moves, and wait for the other to make theirs. You should only make the best with what you have and always manage to win.” _

_ Penelope had smiled, nodded her head and continued to move a chess piece, playing in silence as the fire burned beside them. _

She imagines her life as that same chess match, fire burning beside her, playing against life instead of her father. This time, she was sitting cross-legged before it, playing the game, staring at the pieces with a confident smirk and choosing which to move.

Falling in love with Josie Saltzman makes her feel like she is playing her first chess game.

_ Penelope notices a girl with a nervous smile the first day she arrives at Salvatore. Her own smile is mischievous and she presses a pawn forward: a conversation where she gets more blushes than actual replies. _

_ A pawn of Josie’s flies away and Penelope places hers in its place. _

She plays the same way she always has. Calculated moves and waiting for the other to make their move.

Josie is a great player, too, but she is defensive with her pieces, hiding behind her sister and giving Penelope shy smiles.

_ Josie moves her pawns too, shy glances thrown during class and requests for Penelope to participate in activities. Penelope moves her own, winning no pawn, hiding behind well-thought carelessness. _

She does get closer to her, though, in her own terms. Penelope is nothing but a good reader, and she plays her pieces to have Josie trapped in a way where she can easily get out.

Josie doesn’t leave, chooses to stay and sit beside Penelope in the woods, away from the raging party at the Mill.

“Not shocked you don’t seem to enjoy parties.”

_ A knight moved forward, a move calculated to defeat one of Josie’s pawns, to get closer to the King. _

Josie smiles in a way that surprises Penelope, taking the joint from her fingers, and electricity passes through her veins as their fingers meet.

“I like parties, in my own way.”

_ Her knight is defeated and Josie smirks from the other side of the board, waving Penelope’s knight in her hand. A sneaky win from the normally selfless opponent. _

_ Penelope’s fault of being distracted by the fire again. _

She is more careful afterward, realizes Josie might be more experienced than she lets on. But Penelope loves the challenge, and she is nothing if not a good player.

_ She throws a pawn, has a lot of moves she can use. She stares at Josie as she flirts more, stares a little too long than she should. _

Josie is the one to kiss her, surging forward and capturing Penelope’s lips. She kisses Penelope softly and yet her lips burn when Josie leans back.

_ Josie shakes her head, defeats her pawn with one of her own and enjoys the feeling of throwing Penelope off her game. _

Penelope smirks, and Josie has no time to think when Penelope climbs on her lap, lips hungry and hands settling in her shoulder and hair.

She’s seen how Josie yearns to be seen, to be chosen. 

Perhaps she will be the one to give that satisfaction to her.

_ Penelope laughs, captures Josie’s rook and leaves Josie with a part of her walls thrown _ _down. It’s the feeling she enjoys the most, winning slowly. It’s much more satisfying than a quick match._

Josie is warm against her, hands resting on Penelope’s hips and clinging to her, loose and yet firm, not letting her go. She kisses Penelope the way she wants to, the way she’s always wanted to, long and slow and passionate. 

It reminds her of the fire in her father’s study, and suddenly she is a child again and with no walls against the world.

“Do you wanna go to my room? Or maybe on a date-”

Penelope kisses her again.

_ But Josie replies in the same way, defeats one of her rooks with a single question asked and Penelope feels scared, realizing how open she has left herself. _

_ Josie smiles at her and Penelope feels that maybe it isn’t such a bad thing. _

The next day is better, easier to handle for Penelope. She knows how these things go, how Josie will be blushing and red and all nervous.

_ It’s a pawn she moves with confidence, knowing she would easily win after. _

Josie opens her door and Penelope doesn’t expect to be pulled in and pushed against the wall, Josie’s lips finding hers as if Josie had a map.

_ Josie flicks the pawn off the table with a smirk, chuckling at Penelope’s surprised face. _

_Josie kept on surprising her. _

Josie is a good kisser, Penelope loves that. Loves that Josie kisses with her whole body, hands on Penelope’s torso and hips moving and not stopping in one place for too long.

Penelope enjoys that, how much of herself she gives even in a kiss.

_ Josie only closes her eyes with a smile when Penelope pushes her knight off the table, enjoying how it clatters to the ground and how she places her own knight in its place. Josie seems to enjoy the fall as well. _

Penelope kisses Josie in a way that makes Josie lose her breath. Her lips are cool against hers and Penelope makes sure to keep her close and touch her in the right places, makes Josie go crazy.

“Wasn’t expecting that,” murmurs Penelope.

She places her thumb against Josie’s lips, keeps her away, stills her yearning.

“Does the date offer still stand?”

Josie only kisses her again, grabs her coat from the door, and pulls Penelope outside.

_ Penelope gives up that pawn, almost enjoying how Josie throws it down and places her own. It’s almost nice, how give and take this game is. _

_ Penelope enjoys good games, knows they don’t come without some sacrifices. Josie is the first one to make her enjoy those sacrifices. _

Josie drags them to the kitchen first, looking around and Penelope smiles when she pulls from under the counter a straw bag.

“We’re going to the woods,” says Josie as they walk outside, smiling when Penelope takes the bag. “It’s good weather so I thought we could enjoy it.”

“Anything as long as I’m with you, JoJo,” replies Penelope. The blush she gets as a reply is enough for her to look away, hiding her own blush from her too-sincere words.

_ Penelope stares in deep thought as she beats one of Josie’s pawns, the white contrasting against her black pawn. _

_ She feels as if she has lost too, and throws down her own pawn. _

_ An eye for an eye. _

_ Give and take. _

_ \- _

That’s how it starts and that’s how it continues. 

Small, cute dates in the woods. Going to town in secret, letting Josie spend the night in her room, sleeping in her arms and waking up with the girl on top of her, smile wide and hands mischievous.

Opening her door and finding Josie panting and with flowers in her hand. Waking up late from movements in her room and feeling Josie slide in bed beside her.

Josie slides in her life and isn’t even noticed, as if she was a piece missing from the puzzle of Penelope’s life.

_ Slowly, Josie smiles at her. Her hand moves her pawn, kicks Penelope’s remaining rook and places her piece in Penelope’s square. _

_ It makes Penelope fidget, scratch at her chair, biting her lip, her knight still remaining. _

_ Josie could have made advancements in her life, that didn’t mean she had taken the king just yet. _

_ \- _

“Let’s go somewhere,” says Penelope one night. She grins when Josie accepts, taking her hand and letting Penelope lead her.

She did that a lot of times, let Penelope lead her wherever she wanted. Penelope was starting to think that perhaps she enjoyed being pulled.

Judging by Josie’s happiness, she did. 

_ Josie shoots down one of her pawns, coming closer and closer to her side. It felt scary, letting someone invade her so much. _

_ Penelope had years playing this game, but loving Josie Saltzman was something new. _

_ Yet she knew in the end, she would end up winning. _

“Is this…?”

“I tried my best to make it comfortable, but yes. Your own private cinema to see the movie you missed because you had to help Lizzie with one of her dates.”

It’s good, Penelope can admit it. Fairy lights hanging around the rooftop and bean bags on the ground, facing the big screen Penelope found with MG’s help. It could pass for a professional drive-in if you squinted.

Penelope turns towards Josie, nervous for her reply but all she gets is Josie kissing her and the saltiness in their kiss.

_ There is no surprise in Josie’s eyes when her rook falls down, leaving her clean with only three pawns and the king with the queen. _

_ It makes Penelope smile, and yet this time, the victory didn’t feel good because she was winning. _

_ Her goal wasn’t victory, wasn’t just capturing Josie’s heart. _

“It's beautiful, thank you so so so much,” murmurs Josie. Penelope smiles, nods her head and pulls her in one of the bean bags.

This time, she sits between Josie’s legs, feeling warmth flood her entire body when Josie hugs her from behind. 

It’s warm, it feels too much like home and Penelope is ready to drop everything and do anything for the girl behind her.

_ Another of her pawns falls. Penelope accepts it this time, sees it coming from a mile away. _

_ Yet she finds that she doesn’t really care. _

“I hope you enjoy this, JoJo. I tried my best to make it-”

She remembers her diaries, remembers reading Josie’s after she saw how down the girl was when she missed her favorite movie premiere.

Remembers Josie is in the shadows for it. 

“-make it like that cinema where the movie was going to be shown,” ends Penelope. Josie doesn’t suspect much, nods her head and leaves a kiss on her neck.

_ Trust is a two-way street, it means lowering your defenses and lowering your weapons. _

_ Josie expects it when Penelope knocks down her pawn, placing it gently on the side. She accepts the loss, smiling in a way that leaves Penelope with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. _

_ \- _

It continues like that.

Penelope takes her on more dates, Josie goes on more dates with her.

It slowly changes again.

Suddenly Lizzie demands more time, suddenly Josie is saying _ I’m sorry _ more than she is accepting dates.

Penelope has no choice but to accept, rejecting Josie’s offers of going out late at night.

_ Josie frowns when her pawn is thrown off, falling off the table. Penelope remains sitting with a neutral face, placing her single pawn where Josie’s was. _

_ Sometimes, you had to protect yourself before you were the one to lose. _

_ \- _

“Can you come with me?”

Josie looks at her with a small hopeful smile, hand raised towards her. Penelope has her night free, nothing to do besides reading.

And she loves Josie. She can’t tell her no.

“As long as I don’t end up dead, sure.” Josie grins and laces their fingers together as she walks them out of Penelope’s room.

_ Josie knocks her last knight away as if it’s a simple pawn, getting rid of Penelope’s last line of defense. _

_ She continues smiling as if she didn’t leave Penelope as open as Josie herself was. _

_ Penelope wonders if she’s the only one who is scared. _

“I did this for us,” says Josie. She is nervous as she shows Penelope the corner of the library, filled with tulips and heliotropes and canterburies.

Declaration of feelings, devoted affection, constancy.

All what they felt for each other, spelled out in the blooms.

Penelope feels her eyes tear up as she touches them, each bouquet made with love and a gentle care that could be no one’s but Josie’s.

“I’m sorry for missing so many dates. I really am.”

Penelope forgives her, forgives her for missed dates and for leaving Penelope waiting with no result.

_ Josie gets rid of her other pawn, leaves her with only one weapon, only one piece. _

_ Penelope nods her head, impressed. No one had managed to win this much against her, to get this close to checkmate. _

_ She isn’t surprised Josie is the one to come so far into enemy territory. _

She and Josie sit side by side, reading some books in silence, hands clasped together. It was one of their favorite activities, something they did to feel closer without words.

But then Josie’s phone rings and Penelope lets her go easily, has enjoyed her time with Josie enough for the day.

“Go on, JoJo. Do you wanna come over if you finish on time?”

Josie smiles and nods her head, happy for her understanding.

_ Penelope reacts too, beats her pawn and leaves Josie in the same position as her. _

_ A pawn, a king and a queen. _

_ A trio most dangerous. Too bad that Penelope loved playing with the fire. _

_ \- _

Later on, she goes to her diary, reads around bored until something catches her eye, Alaric’s handwriting appearing on the pages.

An hour later she is staring at the wall in silence, processing the things she’s just seen, and for the first time, she hates knowing more than her opponent.

_ Josie smiles from the other side of the board, and Penelope feels regret stuck in her throat like bile, ready to throw up. _

_ She moves her pawn, doesn’t care if she gets caught or not. _

“Do you want to play some chess?” 

Josie nods her head, and Penelope feels her pocket weight more, the ripped page from her diary keeping her down.

She knew what she had to do.

It was the first time she hated it this much, that it hurt her this much.

_ “Checkmate,” murmurs Josie. There is a smile on her lips, the first time playing against Penelope. _

_ Penelope is reminded of her father, of how he would tell her she shouldn’t judge too fast, should see far ahead, two steps before she throws her piece. _

_ Too bad she had never given that advice to Josie. Had never told her to not trust her completely, to not give Penelope her all. _

_ Troyans thought they won right before Troy fell. _

“We have to break up.”

“What?” Josie’s voice is weak, surprised and the king in her hand falls back in its place, not hitting Penelope’s own king.

Penelope swallows her own tears, her own pain. “We should break up.”

“Why? We are happy-”

“I’m not. I never have been these days.”

_ The pawn is down, the king remains alone with the queen. _

_ She can see Josie understanding the situation from the other side, too scared to accept what was going to happen. _

“We should break up. I don’t want to say this twice.”

Josie is crying now, tears falling and Penelope can hear her heartbreak as clear as she hears her own voice.

“That’s it? Just that? Do I matter that little to you?”

_ Penelope breathes in, breathes out. _

_ It’s time for the final move. _

“Just go, Josie. I don’t want to make this more painful and annoying than it is.”

Josie gets up then and the queen falls down from the force of her movements, the movement of her chair sliding back abruptly. 

The king stands alone.

Josie leaves and so does the queen. The fight is over before she could fight back.

_ It’s dark. It’s late. _

_ Too late. _

_ Penelope smiles sadly as the fire of the common room reflects on the chess pieces. _

_ “Checkmate, JoJo.” _

_ \- _

_ Winning always gave her happiness, gave Penelope a satisfaction nothing else did. _

_ As she stared at the empty chair before her, she didn’t know if she had really won. _

_ A pyrrhic victory, that’s what her father would call it. _

_ A victory but at what cost? _

_ \- _

_ The king falls down. _

_ Penelope’s tears fall next. _

_ \- _

She remains alone, staring at the chess pieces and wondering if the sacrifices had been worth it. 

If falling in love had been worth it.

But then she remembers her father’s words again.

_ You should only make the best with what you have and always manage to win. _

And she would. She would try and get Josie to checkmate her next.

Try to get Josie to stand for herself, become the person Penelope knows Josie kept hidden behind smiling rooks and selfless knights.

-

_ Sometime later, Penelope stands in the same place they played their first and last chess game. _

_ This time, Josie is the one to checkmate her. _

_ This time, Penelope is the one to leave. _

_ It hurts just as much as her victory had. _

_ But maybe she could only truly win if Josie checkmated her. _

_ She doesn’t stay to watch Josie take down her King. _

_ She does hear the sound of it falling, rather sees it in her own tears and Josie’s and on the airplane ticket on her purse. _

_ Good games last long. _

_ Penelope always predicted them. _

_ Makes sense the longest game was the one she couldn’t predict. _

_ She never could predict what loving Josie Saltzman would do to her. _

_ And at this point, she didn’t care. _

_ After all, her game ended the moment she said checkmate. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> tell me more on my twitter @thehopesaltzman


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